The Nightengale
by BerserkerRageX-Girl
Summary: AU. It's WW2 and Jean is a nurse in a military hospital. She starts to fall for a wounded soldier under her care. Jean/Logan. Please R&R.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: The X-Men aren't mine. Should I spell that out for you? Who would believe me if I said they were anyway? No one. That's right.  
  
A/N: This was going to be a short little Logan/Jean, but ended up being a lot longer than expected. Anyway, it's an AU set in WW2 where Jean is a nurse in a war time military hospital, and Logan is a wounded soldier she falls for. There's some Rogue/Bobby too. Some angsty-ness in later chapters. This is a fic that I started a while ago, but hadn't posted it because it wasn't finished. Now it is, so I'll post more chapters if I get reviews.  
  
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The Nightengale: Chapter 1  
  
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Jean carried the dog tags carefully, as if she was holding something of great importance. For all she knew, they were important to that whom they belonged to. She walked down the hallway, out the front doors and towards the benches where many of the patients spent their afternoons.  
  
Jean was a nurse, a nurse in a time of war. She had been called in to the small hospital when a load of army troops were brought in after a bloody battle. This hospital was specifically for the armies and other military branches in this war time. Although Jean hated seeing the wounded men come in after missions, day after day, she felt the need to help them. Many people told her she had a gift helping people, sometimes she considered it a curse.  
  
Jean walked over to the soldier, the one whom the dog tags belonged to. His name was Logan, he had been brought to the hospital the other day and Jean had been assigned to look after him. She glanced at the dog tags in her hand. They didn't have his name on them, but instead the name 'Wolverine' was scripted across the metal. Jean figured it must be his nickname on the battlefield or something. Alot of the soldiers had names like that. Many of them Jean herself had treated. The names of those men ran through her mind. Boomer, Hawk, Bull, Trigger, Ox. They were a few.  
  
When she reached Logan, sitting alone beside a bench in his wheelchair, she lightly tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention.   
  
Logan looked up at her, his steel blue eyes staring right through her almost. His face was scarred from battle wounds. There was one across his left eye which wasn't fully healed, a patch covering it up.  
  
Jean smiled and took Logan's hand from the arm of the wheelchair. She held it gently, palm up, and placed the dog tags inside, closing his fist afterwards. Jean reached for Logan's stubbly chin so that he was looking at her face. "I thought you might like these back." She spoke slowly and clearly, emphasizing each word.  
  
Logan looked at the tags in his hand, then pointed to his ears. Logan was deaf. It had been an injury from the battle, grenades shooting off too close to his head. Some shrapnel caught near his face and his ear drums were pretty much blown. It was nearly a miracle he survived.  
  
Jean sighed, taking his chin in her hands again and speaking clearly. "Logan, I know you can read lips pretty good. And I know you can talk."  
  
Logan grunted. He took the dog tags and put them around his neck carefully. "Thanks." His voice was usually clear and his words pronounced pretty good. It was a difficult task without being able to hear what you sounded like. Most of the time he spoke either too loudly or too softly. Right now was pretty good though.  
  
Jean made sure Logan was looking at her before she responded. "You're welcome." She smiled. "Time to eat, let's go to the cafeteria."  
  
Logan merely nodded, then Jean got behind him and started pushing the wheelchair back toward the hospital. The only problem with having Jean behind him, was that Logan couldn't tell if she was saying anything. Jean had only been taking care of him since the other night, and then he was just falling asleep so they didn't really interact. Sometimes she forgot about Logan's hearing and talked when he wasn't able to see her.  
  
Jean started up the wheelchair ramp and into the building. She was thinking about Logan, and what he had been through in the war. Being assigned to take care of him recently, she didn't really get much of a chance to get to know him. As she was told, most nurses didn't. Logan already had four different nurses assigned to him and he'd only been at the hospital a few days. He wasn't exactly a model patient. The nurses mainly found him rude and uncontrolable. They usually said that he lacked communication skills and the want to learn. The head nurse knew the truth though, and Jean had been forewarned that Logan could indeed communicate.  
  
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As they were entering the cafeteria, Jean looked around for a place where they could sit. She suddenly heard a grunt from Logan and when she looked down at him his head was moving in a jerky motion and he looked in pain.  
  
Jean immediately came to the front of his chair. "Logan?! What's wrong?" He was twitching in pain and his eye was clamped shut so he wasn't able to see Jean's face. She gently held his head in her hands and almost forced his good eye open. Once he was looking at her she repeated her question.  
  
Logan's eye snapped shut again and he grabbed at his ears with his hands. Once in a while the memories of his battle flashed through his mind, he remembered his men dying, explosions all around him, and the pain from his wounds returned. Usually the pain in his ears were the strongest. This was one of those times. "Argh..m-my...ears!" Logan's voice came out in a low tone that wasn't very audible.  
  
Jean listened to him intently, understanding the pain he was in and the inability for him to talk. She knew he didn't know what she was saying with his eye shut like it was, but she spoke anyway. Jean first cursed herself for not carrying any pain medication with her. "Alright Logan, take it easy, it will pass...just take it easy." She gently rubbed on his back, praying that his suffering would be over with soon.  
  
When the pain finally subsided, Logan sat straight in his chair, blinking rapidly a few times. He looked around, thankful that there were too many people in the cafeteria to notice his display. He took in a deep breath and leaned against the back of the wheelchair.  
  
Jean wanted to say something to Logan, ask him about what had happened. Instead, she just wheeled his chair over to a table in the corner of the cafeteria. She then left to go get them both something to eat.  
  
Logan looked back as Jean grabbed two trays and got into the food line. 'God she's beautiful' He thought to himself. 'How'd a sorry bastard like me end up gettin' a nice gal like her for a nurse?' Logan turned away from Jean as she glanced toward him from the line.  
  
Jean gave a soft smile noticing Logan staring at her. She knew she wasn't supposed to get too emotionally involved with the patients. After all, many of the soldiers healed up and went back into battle. Some even got to go home, and alot of them died. It was a terrible thing, the war, but Jean felt a need to help those men anyway.   
  
She wasn't exactly falling for Logan. As of what she knew from him so far, he wasn't very pleasant, and he didn't seem to really like her much anyway. Jean could understand that though, after all he'd been through. She felt a sort of sympathy for him, so much loss, so much pain. But Jean told herself not to get too involved. She was supposed to get him better if possible, and send him on his way. No emotional attachments. 


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: That you so much Angelica, for reviewing my fic. Thank you for all your wonderful comments. ::blushes:: You can contact me by aim if you want, my sn is in my profile. Thanks to Trunksblue also. I'll have to check out your crazy Logan fic. LoL. You guys are awesome! Here's the next chapter!  
  
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The Nightengale: Chapter 2  
  
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After lunch, Logan was scheduled for a therapy session. His leg had been injured from flying shrapnel, and his balance was off anyway because of the damage to his inner ears.  
  
Jean brought him into the therapy room where a couple other patients were working with some of the nurses. There were certain nurses who worked therapy, so the nurses who had assigned patients got to have a little break. Sometimes they would go off on their own, have a coffee break or something, but some of the nurses just sat by the wall in the therapy room and chatted with other nurses.  
  
Jean led Logan's wheelchair over to nurse Hathaway for his therapy. She then took a seat by the wall, next to a nurse she'd never seen before. The nurse was young, must have just been assigned to the hospital. She looked anxious, but eager to learn. Jean smiled kindly at the girl. "You're new aren't you?" It was more of a fact then a question.  
  
The young girl nodded. "Yeah, ah'm new here." She had a soft southern accent when she spoke, and sounded so young to be mixed in with the war.  
  
"I'm Jean."  
  
The girl smiled back at Jean's friendly gesture. "Marie, but you can call me Rogue." She shrugged. "It's what they all call me anyway."  
  
Jean looked over at the other patients in the room. "Who're you assigned to?"  
  
Rogue pointed to a young man about her own age. He was in a wheelchair with his right foot wrapped up and his head all bandaged. "Over there, his name's Bobby."  
  
Jean smiled, thinking about how cute Rogue would be paired up with this Bobby. The young man glanced back at Rogue when his therapy nurse wasn't looking and winked, flashing a pearly white smile.  
  
Rogue blushed slightly, then turned her attention back to Jean. "What about you?"  
  
Jean mimicked Rogue's motion and pointed toward Logan as he was arguing with nurse Hathaway. "That's Logan."  
  
Rogue's eyes widened in surprise. "He's *your* patient?"  
  
Jean nodded, raising a curious eyebrow at Rogue's tone.  
  
"Ah've heard about him...Alot o' the nurses were talkin' about that one. They said he's a tough patient tah work with. He doesn't like tah cooperate with the nurses."  
  
"Oh, he's not that bad." Jean tried defending Logan a little bit, but the act backfired when she and Rogue overheard him yelling at nurse Hathaway, which was pretty loud considering he didn't know how loud he was being.  
  
"FER THE LAST GODDAMN TIME, I CAN'T HEAR YA, I'M DEAF LADY!!"  
  
Jean smiled a little sheepishly and Rogue stifled a giggle.  
  
"Not that bad huh?" Rogue smirked.   
  
"Jean! Could you get over here PLEASE!" Nurse Hathaway yelled.  
  
Jean shrugged at Rogue, getting up out of her seat.  
  
She made her way towards Logan. He was scowling at the nurse with his arms crossed over his chest. Jean got infront of him so he could read her lips. "Logan, calm down, what's the matter?"  
  
Logan grunted. "The damn nurse keeps turnin' her head the other way when she's tryin' ta talk to me. I can't hear a goddamn thing, don't she know that?!"  
  
Jean put her hands up to calm him, relieved that he wasn't shouting. "Alright, just calm down and I'll talk to her." She stood up and walked over to the nurse who was fuming over Logan yelling at her.  
  
Nurse Hathaway glared at Jean. "How can you work with that damn man?! He's horrible, absolutely horrible!"   
  
Logan looked away, knowing that the nurse was probably talking about him. He didn't really care, he knew they all talked about him, but Logan didn't care to know what nurse Hathaway was saying exactly.  
  
Jean still argued with the nurse, trying to get her to be reasonable. "Listen, you have to be looking at Logan when you talk, otherwise he won't know what you're saying. He *can* read your lips but you have to speak clearly and fairly slow. You need to be patient with him."  
  
Nurse Hathaway let out an exasperated sigh. "Fine, let's just let him cool down and we'll reschedule the therapy session for tomorrow."  
  
Jean nodded. "Thank you." She walked towards Logan, spinning his chair around and pushing him out of the room. She sighed, relieved the arguing was over.  
  
Rogue smiled up at Jean as she and Logan passed. "Ah'll see yah tomorrow then Jean."  
  
Jean rolled her eyes, then waved at the girl. "Goodbye Rogue."   
  
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"Who was that?" Logan grumbled as Jean got him settled in his room.  
  
Jean walked over to the window, shutting the shades. She looked back at Logan who was watching her carefully awaiting an answer. "Her name's Rogue. She's a new nurse here. She's very nice, you'd probably like her."  
  
Logan grunted. "Hmph. What's THAT supposed ta mean?"  
  
Jean shook her head. "You're speaking too loud again."  
  
"Hell, it ain't my goddamn fault. I can't hear myself talk." Logan growled.  
  
Jean leaned toward him, placing both hands on the arms of his wheelchair. She looked him straight in the eye. "You're cranky, you need some rest."  
  
Logan grumbled something incoherent, which Jean figured was either a cuss word or some other kind of retort.  
  
After getting Logan in his bed she handed him a glass of water and started toward the door. "Oh, and I won't be around tomorrow morning for a little while, I have a meeting with Doctor Xavier."  
  
Logan wasn't paying attention when she said this, and Jean didn't notice it either, so he didn't know a thing she just said. 


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thanks guys for the reviews! I'm glad to know people are likin' this fic. Alot of people aren't into AU's. So I'm happy. ::grins like an idiot:: There's more outburts from Logan this chapter. ::laughs evilly:: He's so adorable when he's mad! LoL.  
  
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The Nightengale: Chapter 3  
  
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The next day was wracked with chaos. It was breakfast time in the cafeteria and all kinds of shouting and clattering of things being thrown everywhere was heard from down the hall.  
  
Jean raced into the cafeteria where the noise was coming from. She saw Logan sitting in his wheelchair at the corner table, shouting and tossing the trays that were being placed infront of him.  
  
Rogue was standing by the door when Jean came in. "Rogue, what's going on?!"  
  
"I dunno, the nurses just started gatherin' all around Logan tryin' tah calm him down. He jus' started throwin' things everywhere are yellin'. I got him tah calm down for a little while, then he jus' went nuts when the other nurses came back."  
  
Jean heard Logan shouting and looked towards the table where he sat scowling at the other nurses.  
  
"GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME! WHERE'S JEAN?!"   
  
Rogue looked back at Jean as she ran towards the table. Logan was swinging his arms around and throwing trays, but he stopped suddenly when Jean grabbed his face in her hands and looked into his good eye. "Logan, calm down. I'm right here."  
  
He sighed, dropping his hands to his sides. He glared at the other nurses and Jean told them to go. "Where'd you go?" Logan mumbled.  
  
Jean sighed. "I told you yesterday that I wouldn't be around for the morning." She grabbed a chair and sat down next to Logan.  
  
Logan frowned, shaking his head and crossing his arms like he usually did when he was agitated.  
  
Jean put a hand to her forehead and leaned against the table on her elbow. She looked back into Logan's steel blue eyes. "You weren't looking when I said that were you?" Jean could tell what the answer was when he didn't say anything. "It's my fault, I should've made sure you could see me." She looked at Logan's tired expression. "What happened anyway?"  
  
Logan's lip curled and he let out a frustrated growl. "My ears were botherin' me again and then one o' the nurses came over and tried ta tranquilize me."  
  
Jean watched Logan curiously. "Which nurse was it?"  
  
"How the hell should I know?" Logan growled in responce. "The one with the bun in 'er hair."  
  
Jean frowned. "Nurse Ratched." She shook her head. "Did she say anything to you?"  
  
Logan shrugged, seeming to regain his calm finally. "They were all yellin' somethin'. I couldn't understand what the hell they were squawkin' about. Their lips were movin' too fast."  
  
Jean let out a long sigh and started picking up the trays on the floor. She placed the trays infront of Logan and made him face her. "Are you hungry? You haven't eaten anything."  
  
Logan shook his head.  
  
Jean walked behind him, pulling the wheelchair out from the table and left the cafeteria without saying another word.  
  
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They stopped outside, beside the benches where Jean had found Logan sitting by himself the other day. She sat down on the bench beside him and he just stared out across the empty hospital grounds.  
  
"I've got some good news."  
  
Logan noticed Jean's lips moving from the corner of his eye. Luckily she was on his right side, otherwise he wouldn't have noticed it because of the patch on his left eye. He turned to look at her. "What?" He asked gruffly. "Did you say something?"  
  
Jean pulled her eyes shut quickly in frustration. "Sorry, I keep doing that don't I?"  
  
Logan shrugged. "S'okay, atleast you *try* to talk ta me."  
  
Jean smiled half-heartedly. It was the truth actually, few people bothered with Logan. Mainly it was because he scared them away, but they'd either forget to look at him when they spoke, or not even know he was deaf. He would get frustrated and so would the nurses, so neither would bother to communicate. Jean was brought out of her reverie when she heard Logan's voice, loud and gruff.  
  
"So, what did you say?" He watched her lips carefully as she spoke, not wanting to miss a syllable.  
  
Jean smiled. "Oh, I said that I've got some good news."  
  
Logan nodded for her to continue.  
  
"When I met with Dr. Xavier he said that he'd scheduled for you to go have that shrapnel removed from your leg."  
  
Logan grunted. "If ya can call that good news."  
  
Jean made sure Logan was looking her way, which he was now, more so than usual. "Why do you say that?"  
  
He sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. "I uh...I don't like doctors much." Logan grumbled. "And the idea of havin' 'em take a scalpel ta my skin ain't very encouraging."  
  
Jean gently put a hand on his shoulder, turning towards him more on the bench. "Don't worry, it's just your leg, and you'll be under anesthesia anyway so you won't feel a thing." She smiled comfortingly.  
  
Logan looked at Jean's hand on his shoulder. If it was anyone else, he probably would've shrugged the hand away. "When?"  
  
"This afternoon. Then right after you can rest while the drugs wear off. And then tomorrow afternoon you'll have therapy." Jean removed her hand, placing it in her own lap.  
  
Logan nodded, then looked back towards the hospital grounds, just sitting and staring. He figured Jean thought him a coward, but he really, really didn't like doctors. Just thinking about someone cutting him up while he had no idea what was going on, it was really unsettling. Logan knew it was just his leg, but still, he didn't like it. For Jean though, he would go through with the procedure, otherwise he could be cripled for life and then there was always the chance of lead poisoning.  
  
Jean and Logan both sat for a while that morning, each reflecting on their own thoughts. They stared out onto the vast green, feeling the warm sun on their skin, in silence.  
  
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It was time for Logan's surgery, and Jean was getting him ready as she brought him into the little operating room. She told him to strip down to his boxers and after arguing about the doctor's orders, he started undressing, declining immediately when Jean asked if he needed any help.  
  
Once he was ready, Jean helped him onto the operating table and got him to lay down. She called for the doctor, then some other nurses came in with the medical equipment. They started sterylizing the area where the shrapnel had entered Logan's leg.  
  
Logan winced at the cold liquid that they started wiping over his leg. He arched his neck up from his laying down position so that he could see Jean.  
  
"Doctor Xavier's coming in now, I'll be right outside okay?" She told him softly as she started to leave.  
  
"Wait." Logan called out gruffly, trying to get to a sitting position as the nurses pushed him back down on the medical table.  
  
Jean turned swiftly, feeling sympathy for him once she looked into his eyes. She saw fear, nervousness, something Jean usually didn't see when she looked at Logan. Her expression softened. "How about I stay just until you go under the anesthesia? If that's okay with the doctor."  
  
Doctor Xavier had just entered the medical room. He was a thin, bald man of average height, wearing military greens under his white doctor's coat. "Oh I think that will be alright nurse Grey." He smiled kindly at Jean, the wrinkle lines visible at the corner of his eyes.  
  
Jean returned the gesture and then looked back at Logan. "I'm going to stay for awhile. They're starting now Logan, lay back down." She gently pushed down on his chest, making him lay back against the cold table.  
  
Logan flinched as a nurse began putting the gas mask on his face. He closed his good eye and then felt as Jean's soft hand held his own comfortingly as the gas began making him sleep.  
  
Jean held onto his hand, a little surprised that he didn't pull away. She watched as Logan's eyes began rolling back into his head and he was out for the count.  
  
Doctor Xavier was very kind during the whole procedure. He allowed Jean to stay and talked her through everything he was doing as he removed the pieces of shrapnel.  
  
It was very comforting for Jean to be able to completely understand what was going on. She didn't know why she cared the way she did, not as a nurse, but as a friend, or something more. Jean only wished she could understand Logan's feelings towards doctors and his fears of going under the knife.  
  
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Jean sat outside Logan's room reading a magazine as he rested. She looked up from her reading as she caught Rogue walking down the hall. "Hello Rogue." She smiled.  
  
"Oh, hi Jean." Rogue made her way towards Jean and took a seat on the extra chair next to her. "How's Mr. Personality doing?"  
  
Jean gave Rogue a warning glare.  
  
She rolled her eyes. "Ahlright, I'm sorry. But seriously, how did the surgery go?"  
  
Jean closed her magazine and set it on her lap. "It was just very minor surgery. Doctor Xavier was able to remove the pieces of metal without fishing around too much, although there was some tissue damage from the injury."  
  
Rogue nodded in understandment. "I'm assuming Logan's asleep since I don't hear any shoutin'." She half-smiled.  
  
Jean shook her head. "He's not always shouting you know. Logan's actually somewhat...pleasant." Jean could barely believe the words had come out of her mouth.  
  
Rogue quirked an eyebrow and stared at Jean. "I'm sorry Jeannie, but unless he's hidin' two personalities, I doubt he's..'pleasant'."  
  
"You just have to get to know him better. You know, actually *talk* to him." Jean crossed her arms.  
  
Rogue laughed. "Ahlright, I give. Maybe I'll try it sometime." She got up out of her chair and started down the hall. "But I still think you like him!" Rogue called out as she rounded the corner, a devilish smile across her face.  
  
Jean sat there, not really moving for a second. Did she like Logan? Well, love him like him? He *was* attractive, despite the scars and occasional scowl. Still, Jean wasn't sure. She could be falling for him...perhaps. 


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thanks for the reviews!!!! Very cool of you people. ::bows down to reviewers:: This chapter's for you!  
  
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The Nightengale: Chapter 4  
  
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That night, Jean spent the night on a cot out in the hallway right outside Logan's room. The doctor had told her it was alright to go to her own room with the other nurses but she refused.  
  
Jean's sleep was somewhat restless and she couldn't bear it any longer. She sat up on the uncomfortable cot, stretching out her cramped legs. She stood up and decided to go check on Logan. He hadn't eaten at all that day and Jean was a little worried how he would fare after the surgery.  
  
She stepped into the room quietly and noticed the glint of sweat from Logan's forehead. The room was a mild temperature, but not really that hot. Jean walked towards the bed and gently placed a hand on Logan's brow.  
  
"Oh God, you're burning up." She quickly went into the bathroom and grabbed a thermometer and some cold wash cloths.  
  
Jean carefully stuck the thermometer in Logan's mouth and waited to get a temperature reading. She took in a sharp breath and sighed. His temperture was pretty high, but not life threatening, which was a relief. "104, you need to cool down honey." Jean whispered, taking the cold towels and placing them over his forehead.  
  
She pulled down the sheets that were covering Logan and started putting the towels over his chest also. Jean saw him flinch slightly in his fevered sleep. She brushed back his hair and figured that it might be better to wake Logan up after all.  
  
Logan groaned, shifting slightly when Jean tried to nudge him gently.  
  
"Come on Logan, I know you can't hear me but wake up." Jean tried coaxing him awake.  
  
Logan's good eye began to flutter open, blinking a few times before focusing. "Huh?..Jean?" He groaned, taking in raspy breaths.  
  
Jean patted the cold wet cloth across his face. Her eyes were tired and slightly worried, but she offered a kind smile nonetheless. "You're temperature's pretty high, I'm gonna need to get it back to normal."  
  
Logan glanced around the room. He took in deep breaths, his chest rising and falling as he did so. "It's hot in here...I'm tired, lemme sleep." He grumbled.  
  
Jean nodded. "I know you're hot and tired, but you need to stay awake for me okay?"  
  
Logan nodded lazily and watched with a tired eye as Jean covered him in cold towels. He could feel his body heat going down slowly and he was feeling more comfortable.  
  
Jean checked Logan's temperature again after a few minutes. "Alright, we're okay now. You're down to around 97 atleast."   
  
"Goin' back ta sleep now Jeannie." Logan said tiredly as he started to drift back to sleep.  
  
Jean half-smiled, pulling his sheets back over him half way and removing the damp towels. She sighed and walked back into the hallway to go to sleep on her uncomfortable cot.  
  
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Jean woke to the sounds of muffled crying. She opened her eyes and saw that Rogue was walking past her, hands covering her face in a feeble attempt to hide her tears. "Rogue?" Jean called in a croaky morning voice.  
  
Rogue turned swiftly, eyes red. "Oh, I'm sorry Jean, didn't mean tah wake yah."  
  
Jean sat in her cot, swinging her legs over the side. "You didn't, what's wrong?"  
  
Rogue shook her head and walked towards Jean. "Oh, I'm not cryin' 'coz I'm sad Jean." She paused. "Well, mebbe a little...Bobby's been cleared by the Doc and he's decided tah go back on duty."  
  
Jean detected the sadness in Rogue's voice. She knew the girl had fallen for this Bobby, and didn't want him going back to the war. Jean motioned for Rogue to sit down.   
  
Rogue took a seat next to Jean on the cot, wiping away her tears. "I'm glad he's better an' all, it's just...I'm really gonna miss him. I...I think I love him."  
  
Jean smiled, patting Rogue on the back. "You know what? I think he loves you too. I've seen the way that boy looks at you."  
  
Rogue looked up, an embarassed smile creeping up on her face. "Bobby told me that when he gets back from the war fo' good, he's gonna ask me tah marry him."  
  
"Well there you go." Jean gave a short laugh. "You've got nothing to worry about then."  
  
Rogue smiled and stood up, Jean doing the same. "Thanks Jean. I'm gonna go see 'im off."  
  
Jean waved Rogue away as the young nurse giddily ran down the hall. She watched Rogue round the corner, then crossed her arms and sighed. She turned into Logan's room, humming to herself and thinking about what life would be like after the war.  
  
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Logan sat up slowly as Jean came into his room. She walked over to him without saying a word and fixed up his pillows behind him.  
  
Jean lifted Logan's chin so that he was looking at her lips. "Good morning Logan." She smiled brightly.  
  
Logan crossed his arms over his chest and grumbled, "I guess ya could call it that."  
  
Jean shook her head, rolling her eyes. Keeping Logan's attention she asked, "You must be starved, I don't think you ate anything at all yesterday."  
  
Logan shook his head, without the usual scowl this time.  
  
"I'll get you some breakfast." Just as Jean was about to leave the room, Doctor Xavier walked in carrying a small medical kit. She turned her attention over to him, as did Logan. "Oh, good morning Dr. Xavier, I wasn't expecting you."  
  
"I just came to check up on Mr. Logan here." Dr. Xavier turned to Logan who was frowning slightly. He walked over to Logan and stared at his eyepatch. "His left eye should be healed by now, atleast enough to remove the patch."  
  
Jean nodded. "I guess so, I haven't really looked at it."  
  
Logan frowed as Dr. Xavier began removing the patch.  
  
"Try and keep your eye closed until I tell you alright Mr. Logan?"   
  
Logan was staring at Jean who repeated what the Doctor said, noticing that he wasn't able to read his lips from the position the Doc was in. Logan grunted in responce. "Yeah, okay."  
  
Jean watched as Xavier carefully removed the patch, a fresh pink scar visible crossing over the eye. She hadn't even seen his eye until now, and didn't realize how large the scar actually was.  
  
"Alright, open your eye very slowly Mr. Logan." Xavier told him kindly. "It may hurt a little and will most likely be pretty light sensitive at the moment."  
  
Logan slowly opened his eye, blinking every so often from the light, and the long forgotten sensation of air hitting his eye. He closed his right eye in an effort to try and focus with his left. It was pretty blurry for awhile, but then he could see almost completely clear. "It's still kinda blurry."  
  
Dr. Xavier nodded. "Yes, that's completely normal." He smiled at Jean, then back at Logan. "Well, it seems that you won't need the eyepatch any longer."  
  
Jean smiled at Logan. "I hadn't noticed how bright your eyes actually were until now. You look very hansome with both eyes actually visible." She winked at him, swearing to herself that she saw him blush a little.  
  
Doctor Xavier then checked Logan's leg and told him to try and keep weight off of it so he didn't pop the stitches. He then reminded Jean to change the dressings atleast once a day, and left the room to check on other patients.  
  
Jean walked toward the door and glanced back at Logan. "I'm expecting you to be able to know what I'm saying all the time now that you can see out of both eyes Logan." She grinned slyly and started out the door. "I'll go get you that breakfast now." 


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Thank you so much for your reviews everyone!   
  
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The Nightengale: Chapter 5  
  
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Later on, after breakfast it was time for Logan's therapy. Jean wheeled him into the room and waited patiently with Logan by the door for nurse Hathaway to show up. Her mind began drifting as she waited, thinking a little about things after the war again, what things would be like and all. Jean found herself thinking about Logan incidently, and wondering what he was like before the war. Maybe he was kinder, less gruff and less attitude, or maybe he was exactly the same...She was taken out of her reverie when someone tapped her on the shoulder.  
  
"Hey Jean."  
  
She looked up to see Rogue. "Oh, hello Rogue." Jean smiled.  
  
Rogue looked toward Logan who was sitting infront of Jean, staring across the near empty room out the window. Her gaze shifted back to her friend. "Um..Nurse Hathaway isn't here today, another nurse is s'posed tah be in shortly tah work with Logan today but I dunno who."  
  
Jean nodded and sighed. "Alright, this could be trouble, I better warn Logan."  
  
Rogue shrugged. "I can stay with him until the nurse gets here, it's your turn to re-stock the storage room remembah?  
  
Jean scrunched her face. "Dammit, I forgot about that." She sighed, "Okay, let me just tell him and I'll go." She stood up from her seat and kneeled beside Logan, gently placing a hand on his arm for his attention.  
  
"What?" Logan asked gruffly, seemingly annoyed from being interrupted from his staring at the window.  
  
"Nurse Hathaway isn't here today so another nurse will be coming in for your therapy alright? Rogue is going to stay until someone comes. She'll be sure to tell them about your hearing when the nurse gets here." Jean looked up at Rogue. "Right Rogue?"  
  
Rogue nodded, taking Jean's former seat against the wall.  
  
Logan's gaze shifted to Jean's hand that was still on his arm. He then shrugged and turned back to the window. "Yeah, okay."  
  
Jean stood up, removing her hand and tapped Logan's shoulder. She looked at him sternly. "And I don't want *any* complaints from the nurses about you today alright? I've been getting in trouble because of you."  
  
Logan started to roll his eyes and gave a grunt in responce.  
  
Jean took that as a 'yes', regarding Rogue before she walked out the door.  
  
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By now Jean had finally finished stocking the storage room with medical supplies, and figured Logan's session was over by now.  
  
She walked into the therapy room and stood by the door, looking around the room to see if Logan was still there. Jean caught sight of him, standing between two rails that were used for patients that need to work on walking. Logan's arms were shaking and he looked tired and hurt. Jean immediately scanned for the nurse looking after him....Nurse Ratched.  
  
Nurse Ratched was standing on the other side of the rails, not helping Logan at all. She was yelling at him to keep going, but surprisingly he said nothing. Probably because he wouldn't look at her and couldn't hear a thing, but also it was because Jean had warned him about causing a commotion and he didn't want to get her in trouble.  
  
Logan started to collapse, unable to keep balance, and without the strength to hold himself up any longer. Nurse Ratched just continued shouting at him to get up.  
  
Jean charged over to where Logan and Ratched were. She grabbed Logan's arm, offering support and keeping him up.   
  
At first Logan glared at the one who had grabbed his arm, thinking it was another nurse. When he saw Jean's worried face he was somewhat relieved and allowed her to help him up.  
  
She led Logan towards his wheelchair and set him in it gently. Jean then glared angrily at Nurse Ratched, who seemed somewhat shocked at her sudden appearance. "What the hell did you think you were doing?!"  
  
Ratched's eyes widened and she gave a menacing glare of her own. "I was performing therapy with a patient." She replied evenly.  
  
Jean jutted her lower lip outward. She pointed towards Logan. "He just had surgery on his leg the other day and you had him walking on his own without any help?!?!" Jean was furious by now, not being able to understand how a person so careless as Nurse Ratched was even qualified to work in a hospital.  
  
Ratched put her hands on her hips defensively. "Well how was I supposed to know?"  
  
"If you'd bothered to check Logan's charts you would've known he's not supposed to be on his feet." Jean didn't even bother waiting for a responce. She walked toward Logan's wheelchair and kneeled down infront of him. His head was bowed down and his eyes were almost closed. Jean gently lifted his chin. "Logan...are you alright?"  
  
He blinked a few times, offering a pathetic smile. "Yeah, I'm fine...I'm just...tired."  
  
Jean smiled sympathetically, knowing he was in pain. She stood up and walked around Logan's chair, wiping away a small tear as it rolled down her cheek. "Come on, you need to rest now." She knew he couldn't hear that, but she said it anyway, more for her own reassurance.  
  
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Jean wheeled Logan into his room and parked his chair by the bed. He was all tired looking and sweaty from the so-called 'therapy' session.   
  
Without either saying a word, Jean began helping Logan get his shirt off. She couldn't help notice how muscular he was, the way the muscles all rippled even when he moved just a little bit. She also couldn't get away from all the scars he had. It was somewhat depressing actually; all that pain in his life, pain and scars to remind him of the pain. Jean shook herself out of her stare when Logan spoke.  
  
"Hey Jeannie, can we hurry up huh? I'm really tired."  
  
"Oh, right, I'm sorry Logan." Jean began helping Logan into his bed, adjusting the pillows for him.  
  
Logan layed back, grimacing slightly and moving a hand toward one of his ears.   
  
Jean frowned. "Is your hearing bothering you again?"  
  
Logan watched Jean's lips carefully and nodded, growling in frustration.  
  
Jean reached into her pocket and took out a bottle of pills. "The Doctor gave me these for you, it should help with the pain. They're going to make you drowsy too." She took Logan's left hand in her own, placing two pills inside and closing his fingers up around them. Jean grabbed the glass of water on the nightstand and handed it to him.  
  
Logan swallowed the pills and layed back against the pillows.  
  
Jean doubted he would notice, considering how tired he was, but she stood up and gently kissed his forehead. She then walked out into the hall and took a seat on the cot that was still out there.   
  
Jean felt bad for what happened to Logan today, she felt responcible because she told him not to make a scene, she told him not to get her in trouble. Usually he wouldn't just listen like that, if he really wanted to complain he would have. Perhaps Logan really cared for Jean, it seemed as though he didn't want her in trouble. Maybe he was just being nice...or maybe Logan actually had feelings for Jean. 


	6. Chapter 6

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The Nightengale: Chapter 6  
  
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By late afternoon, Jean walked into Logan's room cheerfully, carrying a tray of food with an extra setting. She eyed Logan, noticing he remained asleep. With what had happened earlier with nurse Ratched in the therapy room, Jean could understand that he was very tired, and she let him rest longer than usual.  
  
She set up the tray on the table beside the bed and sat down in the chair next to it. Jean leaned back against the chair and picked up a magazine under the table for something to do. She couldn't help listening to Logan's loud snoring, a small smile creeping up on her lips.  
  
Logan grumbled softly and turned his head to the side, opening his eyes. He yawned, looking at Jean, but didn't bother sitting up or saying anything.  
  
"Hey." Jean smiled, setting her magazine off to the side. She grabbed the tray off the table, setting it on her lap. "I brought dinner up here. I didn't think you'd feel like going to the cafeteria tonight."  
  
Logan eyed the tray with a raised eyebrow. "How come there's two plates?" He grumbled, finally starting to sit up.  
  
Jean's eyes sparkled as she gave Logan a friendly smile. "I thought I'd share the meal with you." She shrugged, teasing him and started to get up. "But if you'd prefer to be alone, I'll just go eat in the cafeteria by myself..."  
  
Logan rolled his eyes and sighed as if he was annoyed. Which he wasn't, he somewhat enjoyed Jean's playful moods, as long as he wasn't in a terribly bad mood himself. "Siddown Jean."  
  
Jean grinned, showing off her sparkly whites in a goofy manner. She handed Logan his plate and he eye the mushy-looking meatloaf with a disgusted look on his face. As if Jean had read his mind, she watched him look up at her and said, "Well it was either that or lasagna, and I know how much you hate the hospital's lasagna."  
  
Logan let out a soft chuckle and took a bite of the mystery meat.  
  
Jean smirked, thinking to herself how nice it was to almost get a laugh out of him. They then continued their meals in a comfortable silence, sneaking glances at one another without each of them knowing.  
  
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Jean and Logan began some small conversation, despite Logan's refusals, after eating. Jean had told him that it was better he continued to practice communicating, although he'd mentioned never really being much of a conversationalist. Jean just laughed and continued gabbing.  
  
Suddenly Rogue burst into the room, bawling her eyes out. "Jean!" She cried out, looking to her friend for comfort.  
  
Jean was surprised by Rogue's sudden intrusion, but looked to help her friend. "What is it Rogue?! What's the matter??"  
  
Rogue crumbled to the floor, kneeling beside Jean's chair and began pouring her heart out.  
  
Logan watched in somewhat concerned confusion. All he could hear was the empty hum of white noise. He tried to catch what Rogue was saying, but she spoke so fast and it was mainly mumbled. Logan seemed to catch the brunt of the conversation, and from what he understood...Bobby was dead.  
  
Bobby was the young man Rogue had become quite attached to. Logan only remembered talking to the kid once or twice, not really about anything imparticular. The kid talked a mile a minute and it was hard for him to understand. He recalled Jean gossiping about things between Rogue and Bobby, and then when the kid decided to go back into the war. Rogue was upset at first, but then she was alright when she talked to Jean, mainly because Bobby had promised to marry her when he got back. Well, it was something like that anyway, Logan didn't always pay attention to Jean's gossip as much as she thought he did. Now the kid was dead? It was a terrible thing to happen and Logan felt sorry for Rogue.  
  
Jean had tears running down her cheek as she hugged Rogue in a effort to comfort her. "I'm sorry Rogue...I'm so, so, sorry." She sniffled, gently pulling Rogue away.  
  
Rogue's young face looked ten times older with her puffy red, tear stained cheeks, and bloodshot eyes. The tears still whelled up in her eyes as she tried to wipe them away, sniffling furiously.  
  
Logan didn't know what else to do, so he just sat on his bed in silence. He didn't really know what to do in this kind of situation. He couldn't just use violence or shouting, or even a smart remark to make it go away. Logan refused his brain's command to keep his mouth shut when he had the urge to comfort the young girl. "I-I'm sorry Rogue."  
  
Logan's gruff, unexpected voice broke the tears and muffled whimpers between Rogue and Jean. Rogue looked toward Logan, wiping her eyes. "Thank you Logan."   
  
Jean was surprised by Logan's unusual compassion, but this just made her feelings for him even stronger. The fact that he could just forget about everything in that moment and focus on making Rogue feel a little reassured, totally blew her away. Logan didn't even know Rogue well, or Bobby. He basically knew what Jean had told him about the two.   
  
Jean stood up, helping Rogue shakily to her feet. She looked toward Logan, the look in her eyes telling him that she had to leave for the moment. Logan merely nodded and Jean helped Rogue out of the room.  
  
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Hours passed by and Jean hadn't returned. Logan figured she needed some time, from what he knew, she didn't really know Bobby that well either, but death was a terrible burden to bear and Jean was very empathic about things like that. She was probably spending some time with Rogue too, to calm her down.   
  
Logan began getting restless. It was around 1a.m. and sleep seemed just out of his reach. He wanted to sleep, but all he could think about was Jean, incidently.   
  
Finally giving up and letting insomnia get the better of him, Logan eased himself to a sitting position and carefully reached for the wheelchair beside his bed. His inner ear was still screwed up, keeping him off balance, and his leg felt like it was on fire when he put just a little pressure on it. Logan shakily got into the chair after almost falling over, and started to slowly wheel himself out of his room.  
  
The hallways were like a ghost town as he wheeled out there. Being as late as it was, none of the nurses were around and there were no security guards in this hospital anyway. The nurses having the late shift got to leave their posts at midnight, and that was atleast an hour ago.  
  
The wheelchair creaked softly as Logan made his way through the halls, but he couldn't hear it anyway. This added to the eerieness of everything. It was so quiet, so...still and lifeless.  
  
Rounding the corner slowly, Logan thought he saw something at the end of the dark hallway. He got curious and quickened his pace slightly, going toward the dim light that entered a room. As he got closer and took a better look at the seemingly empty room, he noticed a small figure huddled by the window.  
  
Logan wheeled into the room a bit slower, glancing at the figure but not saying anything. He suddenly realized who it was...Rogue. He guessed that she was crying because of her slight quivering, but he couldn't hear anything so it was unsure.  
  
Rogue suddenly shot a glare to behind her where Logan was. She jumped, startled by his presence. "Oh!" She sniffled, wiping away her tears. "Logan, yah startled me."  
  
"Sorry." Logan tried to say it softly, but couldn't tell if he was being quiet, or too silent to be heard.  
  
Rogue gave him a tight smile and brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "It's ahlright. What're yah doing up so late?"  
  
Logan shrugged, glancing off to the side. He cleared his scratchy throat. "Couldn't sleep I guess." He knew she was there crying about Bobby, but the thought about actually talking to her about it hadn't really crossed his mind. It was a touchy subject and Logan didn't really even know how to go about comforting her on the matter, so he just chose not to pick up on that.  
  
Rogue nodded, sniffling again and obviously fighting back tears.   
  
Logan rolled his shoulders back, making them pop.  
  
Rogue scrunched up her face. "Ouch."  
  
He furrowed his brows. "What?" Logan didn't realize the loud popping sound that had come from his cracking shoulders.  
  
"Yah shouldn't crack your shoulders like that."  
  
Logan shrugged, half rolling his eyes.  
  
Rogue turned her back toward Logan suddenly, looking out the window.  
  
"Rogue?" Logan asked as softly as he could manage without whispering.  
  
Rogue turned back to face him, realizing she wouldn't be able to communicate otherwise. "Jean went back to her room, she....she was pretty worn out I guess." She bit her lower lip in an effort not to shed any tears or get too emotional.  
  
Logan knew that Rogue meant emotionally worn out, not physically. He also knew that Rogue seemed worn out in the same way. He nodded.  
  
Rogue smiled wanly. She knew Logan was just trying to be kind, an effort that was not completely fruitless. She saw him starting to doze off and gently tapped on his chair so he'd look at her. "C'mon, I'll take yah back to your room."  
  
Logan gave in, feeling that it would probably be better for Rogue to get her mind off things, or atleast keep herself busy in some way.  
  
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As Rogue was leaving Logan's room, he called back to her. "Hey, Rogue."  
  
Rogue turned, wiping the hair away from her face. "Yeah?"  
  
Logan grunted, not knowing what to say. "You gonna be okay?"  
  
The young girl smiled tightly and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind her.  
  
Logan lay against his pillows, staring at the ceiling for a few minutes. He wondered if Rogue was really alright, if she was going to go to her room and sleep, or go back to the end of the hall and cry her eyes out. Logan hoped she would be able to get over Bobby's death. He didn't want her to end up like him, left brooding and angry. Rogue was a spirited young woman, with a sparkle that Logan hoped would never fade in her eyes. He eventually overcame the insomnia, closed his eyes, and was able to fall asleep. 


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Thanks for the great reviews!   
  
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The Nightengale: Chapter 7  
  
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The next day went by rather uneventfully, and it was around noon time. Logan hadn't seen Jean all day so far, and was begining to think that she was avoiding him.   
  
Perhaps what actually was going on is that Jean was having a hard time dealing with Bobby's death, because it relates to her feelings towards Logan. Rogue loved Bobby so much and once he was back in combat, he wound up dead. This made things very real for Jean, and she realized something like that could happen with her and Logan. She didn't want that emotional attachment, because if something ever happened, Jean would be just crushed and she didn't want to be forced to deal with such an emotional blow.  
  
Logan had been sitting in his room, pretty much all day, not even leaving to eat. He had only left once in order to go to therapy, otherwise Jean would be in trouble for it. Luckily nurse Hathaway was there, and not nurse Ratched. Today Logan was being pretty cooperative and hadn't yet caused a commotion or anything.  
  
Finally, he got so bored he got out of his bed and into his wheelchair, and left the room. Logan made his way outside beside the bench where he and Jean had first actually talked with one another. He was a bit tired from the amount of energy needed to wheel himself out there, but he figured it was worth it.  
  
Outside, sitting on the bench, was Jean.  
  
Logan pulled up beside the bench quietly, and parked himself without saying a word. He merely stared across at the grounds.  
  
Jean acknowledged Logan's presence, not yet looking at him or saying anything. She was sort of testing him, seeing how he would react. The fact that he had even come to sit by her like this showed her something. She finally turned to Logan, placing a hand on his shoulder and gaining his attention. "You came all the way out here to find me?" Jean smirked.  
  
Logan looked at Jean, noticing the twinkle had returned to her mesmerizing, emerald green eyes. Maybe she wasn't completely changed by Bobby's death after all..."Nah." He shrugged. "I jus' needed a dinner date." Logan winked at Jean with a playful smirk on his face.  
  
Jean gave a short laugh. "Okay soldier, it's a date then." She stood up and started pushing his chair back toward the hospital for dinner.  
  
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That night, Jean found her way through the dark halls into Logan's room. Why was she going to his room so late? She didn't really know exactly. It had something to do with needing someone to talk to. Jean needed venting, she needed a friend. That's what Logan had become to her over the days she'd spent with him. Maybe more than a friend actually....perhaps, a soulmate?  
  
Jean crept into the dark room, making her way towards the dim moonlight that shone through the window onto Logan's bed. She noticed that he was actually awake, sitting up in bed and staring at the wall. Jean silently walked over to the wheelchair beside his bed and sat down. Her face was encircled by the soft moonlight and she looked like some sort of guardian angel. "Hi." She smiled, whispering.  
  
Logan almost quirked a smile. "Hey Jean. Couldn't sleep?" He grumbled, somewhat louder than expected.  
  
Jean bit her lower lip, then looked up again, eyes shimmering. "Not exactly. What about you? Couldn't sleep?"  
  
He grunted. "Not exactly."  
  
Jean half smiled and suddenly noticed the sweat on Logan's brow. Her eyebrows furrowed. "Are you sick again?" She put a hand to his forehead, then pulled it away slowly when Logan gently took hold of her wrist.  
  
Logan shook his head, letting go of Jean's wrist and dropping his hand to rest on the bed. "No, just..uh..forget it, I'm fine." He had been having nightmares, more like resurfacing memories, about the war when the men under his command were killed and he was injured. The dreams were graphic, making him feel as though he was right there in the battle field again. It wasn't something you'd want to sleep to. Some nights, like tonight, Logan would wake up in a cold sweat.   
  
Jean frowned, wishing he would talk about things with her. Not that she could talk really, Jean hadn't told him things that bothered her either. Like the fear of her falling in love with him and he ends up getting killed; or that she'd have restless nights because she was scared of living...scared of what she did as a nurse, scared of seeing anyone else die. She suddenly stood up, smiling at Logan softly.  
  
He looked up at her, wondering if she was leaving, which he knew, she probably was. Logan didn't know what to say or do. He wanted her to stay with him, just sitting and talking, or even just sitting there. Logan didn't care if they spoke or not, just being in Jean's presense was almost satisfying enough. He loved being around her, the very thought of her, but he wasn't very good at expressing something like that.  
  
Jean walked back into the dark shadows toward the door.   
  
As Logan watched her leave, he sat there staring, never knowing that Jean had said, "I love you", as she walked out.  
  
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	8. Chapter 8

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The Nightengale: Chapter 8  
  
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The recreation room of the hospital was pretty empty, besides a pair of soldiers with crutches playing checkers in the corner, and Logan, who sat in his wheelchair infront of the window. It was a terrible day, pouring rain outside, and humid inside.  
  
As Logan stared at the rain as it drizzled down the glass, he thought he heard something. Instead of no sound at all or something like white noise, he thought he'd actually heard a sound. It was very muffled, almost staticy, but Logan could almost be positive that he'd heard something.  
  
Suddenly being able to hear somewhat, even if it wasn't clear at all, was a strange feeling. Although the sounds weren't loud to anyone else, they seemed loud and gave him a headache. The noise came again, and this time Logan turned around, a hand on his head.  
  
Jean stood there, slightly surprised that Logan had turned around as she approached him. He looked in pain with his hand pressed against his ear. She locked gaze with him as he turned. "Logan, are you okay?"  
  
The sound of Jean's voice boomed in his head like someone had just shot off a thousand rounds from an automatic rifle in his ear. Logan clenched his teeth, but was unable to respond.  
  
Jean fished in her skirt pocket for Logan's pain medication. She quickly opened the bottle, reaching forward and prying a hand from his ear, she put two pills in his palm.  
  
Logan took the pills, tossing them in his mouth and swallowing them without any water. He grunted, looking at Jean with his steely eyes.   
  
Jean's eyebrows knitted together in confusion and curiosity. "Can...can you hear me?"  
  
Logan closed his eyes tightly for a moment, then watched Jean's lips carefully as she spoke. He shook his head. "No, not really." He could hear the thumping of his own voice as he spoke, the noise becoming familiar to him somewhat.   
  
Jean waited until he looked back at her. "Do you hear anything?"  
  
He cleared his throat, hoping that the pounding in his head would stop and the medication would kick in soon. "It's like..uh..like radio static almost. I can hear sound, not words. More like thumping, or beats."  
  
Jean nodded, actually understanding what Logan was telling her. She put her hand on his in a comforting manner. She smiled, noting this as good news. "I'm going to set up an appointment with Dr. Xavier. He'll check out your ears to see if your hearing is coming back."  
  
Logan grunted, looking off to the side and back out the window and the pouring rain. He grumbled something that sounded like a 'yeah, fine', still looking out the window. It's not like he didn't want his hearing back, he really and truly did. The only thing that was worrying Logan was loosing Jean, which scared him more than anything. If his hearing came back he'd possibly be leaving the hospital and never seeing her again. This meant he actually admitted to his feelings for Jean...almost.  
  
Jean took hold of the wheelchair handles and started pushing Logan away from the window.  
  
He turned to look at Jean, the pounding in his head finally subsiding somewhat. "What the hell are you doing?" He asked, somewhat more angry sounding than he intended.  
  
"I think you've done enough brooding for today, I'm taking you for some walking therapy." She answered him happily, pushing Logan towards the door.  
  
He rolled his eyes. "There ain't even any therapy today."  
  
"I know." Jean answered brightly, as he stared at her from the chair. "I'll be taking care of your session today."  
  
"Hmph." Logan sighed, grumbling something incoherent under his breath and crossing his arms.  
  
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Of course, the therapy door was locked, but Jean was gladly unlocking the door with a key she had in her pocket. She must've planned this.  
  
Logan sighed, proping his elbow against the arm of the wheelchair as Jean pushed him in the empty room, turning on the lights as she did so. "Why'd ya take me here Jean."  
  
She kneeled infront of him, watching as he winced slightly at the sound of his own voice. Apparently the medication wasn't all that helpful. "Since your hearing seems to be returning, your inner ear should have repaired some, meaning that your balance shouldn't be totally off still." Jean smiled. "This altogether means you might be able to walk some." She gestured toward Logan's leg. "You should be somewhat healed from the surgery so it'll be okay to put a little pressure on the leg."  
  
Logan sighed, knowing that this was going to be a long afternoon.  
  
Jean brought Logan's chair over to the walking poles to get him started. She then got infront of him again, standing inbetween the bars in order to guide him through. "Okay, now I'm going to help you, but I want you to try and stand up."  
  
Without arguing, because he knew it wouldn't do any good, Logan pushed off against the wheelchair's arms to help him up. He felt somewhat dizzy, but was determined to atleast stand on his own. Jean offered to help, but he grunted and pushed her hand away with a determined, "No."  
  
Logan unsteadily got to his feet, standing in an almost completely upright position. He was somewhat hunched over to keep his balance.  
  
Jean smiled when he looked up at her. "Good." She then took his hands and made him grip onto the walking bars. "Here, hold on to this."  
  
Logan nodded, watching Jean although he wanted to look at his feet and make sure they were moving. He carefully moved his hands along the bars, forcing his legs to keep up. There was less pain altogether than dizziness.  
  
Jean saw him start to pitch forward and forcefully grabbed his arm, pulling it over her shoulder to steady him. "Easy, take it slow Logan."  
  
"I got it." He grumbled, pulling his arm from around Jean's shoulder and gripping onto the bars again.  
  
Jean backed off a bit, just enough to give him space to be able to move forward. She could tell Logan was determined, so was she. She wanted him to be healthy, to get his strength back. Maybe this would lighten his mood some.  
  
Logan limped forward across the bars, trying not to put too much weight on his bad leg, but still trying to walk on his own. It was a struggle, and he could feel the sweat dripping from his brow, but he kept going despite himself.  
  
Jean bit her lower lip as she watched him slowly make his way toward her, inch by agonizong inch. She could tell Logan was in pain now and was hoping he'd make the decision to stop on his own so she wouldn't have to force him.  
  
Logan continued on, just about reaching the halfway length of the bars. He groaned, feeling his legs giving out on him and dizziness taking over.  
  
Jean watched Logan start to slip and grabbed his arm. "Easy Logan."  
  
He shook his head. "I wanna keep goin'." As Logan tried to shake off Jean's grip he nearly fell over.  
  
Jean held fast, wrapping her arm around his waist to keep him up. "You've done enough, it's okay. Halfway's good for now." She led him back to the wheelchair unsteadily and sat him down. Jean grabbed a glass of water on a work bench close by and handed it to Logan, watching as he downed it in one gulp.  
  
"I shoulda...made it all the way." He grumbled, slightly out of breath. It was obvious that he was frustrated with himself.  
  
Jean patted Logan's shoulder, kneeling down infront of him. "That was good enough for today. How 'bout I bring you to the rec room to watch some TV, and I'll go make that appointment with Dr. Xavier."  
  
Logan groaned audibly. "Jus' take me to my room then Jean. The TV's gonna jus' kill my ears from the sound I'll get from it."  
  
"Oh, sorry, I forgot about that. Okay, I'll get you back to your room then."   
  
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	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Thanks so much for all the great reviews!!!  
  
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The Nightengale: Chapter 9  
  
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Later that night, long after Jean had discussed things with Dr. Xavier, she sat alone in her room, left with nothing but her thoughts.  
  
Jean realized that she hadn't seen much of Rogue at all recently. Normally she'd stop into Jean's room and talk for a little while, but lately...nothing. She knew that Rogue was going through hard times right now, with Bobby's death and all, but she was getting worried that the young girl would be leaving the hospital. Perhaps it was selfish of her, wanting Rogue to stick around just so she'd have someone to talk to, besides Logan. She really felt that it was probably better for Rogue to leave all the tragedies of the war behind her. Jean knew better that she could not forget the war herself; her future that lay inside the hospital, possibly, was within reach if she only knew how to grasp it.  
  
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A week had passed, Rogue was gone, Logan and Jean had been spending more time together with therapy and Logan's hearing was almost fully restored. Doctor Xavier told Jean that he'll need another hearing test in about a week, but if it hasn't fully returned by then, it probably never will and Logan won't be able to go back into battle with the rest of the troops.  
  
Jean told Logan not to get his hopes up, but he was determined to get better and jump back into the fight. That was what Jean was afraid of. What if he did go back? Would she ever see him again? Would he even remember her? What if he was killed in battle? Could she live with that? Would she even know? Many things ran through Jean's mind when she heard a yell. It was pretty late, too late for any other nurses to be around, and too early for any patients to be up. But that yell...it was familiar...it was...Logan.   
  
Jean was somewhat close by, and she raced to Logan's room to find him sitting up in bed with his hands clamped over his ears. She ran by his side and called out his name softly, but for a while he didn't respond. His hands were covering his ears so tightly he probably couldn't hear her.  
  
"ARRHHHH!!" Logan yelled, thrashing violently at an unknown enemy.  
  
Jean jumped back away from Logan. He was actually starting to scare her. What was wrong with him?! She slowly made her way closer to him when he seemed to calm down. The worst of it looked to be over, whatever "it" was. "Logan!" Jean called to him sternly, placing a hand on his shoulder.  
  
Logan's eyes snapped open but they were wild looking, like a cornered animal. Something about his eyes made Jean back away again. This was so unlike him. He was so close to recovery, why is this happening now? "Logan...? Please...say something okay? You're starting to scare me." No, that wasn't all true, he had already scared her.  
  
Logan took in some deep breaths, but his body was shaking, almost in convulsion. He began shaking so violently, Jean wasn't sure if he really *was* having a seizure or not. Not willing to take the chance of another dangerous outburst, worse than before possibly, she rushed to the closet and pulled out an emergency medical kit. Inside it she grabbed a syringe in a sealed bag and a sedative. Jean quickly but carefully plunged the needle into Logan's shoulder, injecting him with the drug.  
  
The shaking seemed to slow down and his breathing became more steady. Jean tentatively took his hand in hers, stroking it gently. "Hey...Logan? Can you hear me?"  
  
He nodded, his head jerking for a second uncontrolably. Logan looked at Jean, shame in his eyes, but no wildness. The sedative had taken care of that, thankfully. "Yeah...I can hear you...loud an' clear."  
  
Jean bit her lower lip, reaching out for his chin so he would look her in the eyes. "Louder than normal loud?" She saw the uncertainty in his features. "Don't lie to me Logan."  
  
He grunted, clenching his teeth. "Yeah...more like...near sonic boom..loud."  
  
Jean gently brushed a hand through his sweat soaked hair. She tried whispering lowly so it wouldn't be so loud to him. "What happened?"  
  
He knew what she was talking about, but he didn't really know how to answer. "I..I don't really know." Logan told her truthfully, in a whispering tone of his own. "Somethin'...popped inta my head..." He closed his eyes tightly, trying to remember. "...from that battle I was in. The Vietnamese were all 'round us...attackin' from all angles...shootin' at us...slaughtering us. We..we were left there without any ammo left...no water...nothing. Our Lieutenant was killed...leaving me in charge. We were told to hold our position..but everyone around me was dyin'...Then....I charged at the enemy, killin' some of 'em with my knife...then I heard gunfire overhead...big shells bein' fired...an explosion beside me...then I was down..." Logan clutched at his ears again...as if he was back on the field and his hearing was being damaged for the first time. He was tired, not only physically, but mentally too, only his body wasn't allowing him to rest. Every time he tried to heal and sleep, something else would happen to set him back.  
  
Jean leaned toward him, stroking his hair. She bent down, kissing the top of his head. "Shh..it's okay, you're alright Logan..." It was a surprise to her, that he'd told her about this. She didn't think he felt as close to her as she felt to him...maybe she was wrong.  
  
Logan's body started to shake slightly again, but Jean pulled an extra blanket off the bed and wrapped it around his broad shoulders. She sat with him, without saying a word, just holding him and being there. The whole rest of the night Jean stayed by Logan's side, stroking his hair like a child, until he was asleep.  
  
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In the morning Jean found herself sitting on Logan's bed with her arms wrapped around him. She blinked a few times, getting rid of the sleepiness and trying to fully waken. She knew she shouldn't be there, with a patient. She couldn't fall in love with a patient...but she already had. Jean knew, right then, things would be different between the two of them. Logan told her things that he probably hadn't told anyone, or even thought of to himself, until that night. Now neither of them could go back.  
  
Jean slowly and gently pulled away from Logan as he began to groan back to consciousness. She wondered if he remembered what had happened. After all, he was in an odd state and might not recall what went on. Jean hoped that he was feeling better, he really worried her last night.  
  
Logan opened his eyes, smiling half-heartedly at Jean. Right then, she knew that he remembered. The look in his eyes, the glint that showed her that he understood her feelings towards him. "Jeannie."  
  
She brushed a hand through his hair and smiled at him sympathetically. "Are you...better this morning?"  
  
Logan nodded with a sigh, remembering the uncontrollable shaking that overcame him the other night. He realized also, that his hearing seemed much more normal this morning. "Yeah, I'm good." He cocked his head to the side. "And it seems my hearin' is pretty good right now too."  
  
"Good, I'm glad." Jean stood up, smoothing out her crinkled nurses uniform. "I better go clean up, I'll be right back."  
  
Logan nodded, winking at Jean as she walked out and smiled back at him.  
  
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	10. Chapter 10

A/N: To answer littlejuliesparkles' question; When I was writing this story I got the idea from a movie and I may have gotten WWII and Vietnam confused...::blushes:: I know they fought the Germans in WWII so...I'm sorry about the confusion. I think in the movie they were fighting vietnamese people though...uh...::stares blankly:: I dunno, I watch too many war movies. heh. I don't exactly know where the hospital's supposed to be either...I figured somewhere obviously *not* in the US, but somewhere the war is taking place, where it's warm. So sorry about the confusion, I do really bad in History. LoL. The story will still make sense no matter what war it is though really...I think. It would probably just make more sense if I said the story takes place during the Vietnam War huh? Then the hospital could be in 'Nam. Well, I'm dumb.   
  
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The Nightengale: Chapter 10  
  
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The rest of the day went by comfortingly slow, and Jean and Logan seemed so at ease together. It wasn't until late afternoon that the whole surreal-like day came crashing to brutal reality.  
  
They were still at war, sometimes not very far away, and the hospital could be in danger at any time. This just happened to be one of those times.  
  
Logan and Jean were just outside, sitting on a bench in their favorite spot. Suddenly the hospital's alarms started blaring throughout the grounds. The couple was on high alert already.  
  
"What's going on?!" Logan asked, grabbing for his cane that was beside the bench. He had only been using it very recently and unfortunately Jean thought today would be a good day to practice.  
  
"There must be a battle nearby! Come on, we have to get back inside." Jean stood up quickly, grabbing Logan's arm to help him to his feet.  
  
They both hurried towards the hospital, as the firing of weapons was getting closer. Jean screamed, ducking as they made their way to safety. Explosions errupted around all sides and Jean and Logan were both knocked to the ground by a nearby blast that was way too close for comfort.  
  
Logan grunted at his sore leg as Jean helped him to his feet. "Get outta here Jeannie, run!"  
  
She refused to listen to him and they dragged on as more explosions hit the ground around them.  
  
Logan snapped his eyes shut, flashes of his old battle returning. Weapon fire screamed over his head and he looked to the sky to see a red blast streaming overhead. "Jean look out!" He shoved her to the ground, just as an explosion errupted where they had been standing.  
  
Jean gasped, regaining her composure. The only thing that ran through her mind was, 'Is this going to be over soon? Will we survive?' "Logan!" She called out fearfully, her eyes closed.  
  
Logan stuck his cane into the ground to help himself up. He grabbed Jean's arm, bringing her toward the hospital. "I got'cha Jeannie, c'mon, we gotta keep movin'." He told her gruffly. Logan had lost all of his men in battle, and he wasn't going to loose Jean because of this war too.  
  
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As they stumbled into the hospital, Jean and Logan each helping eachother, they made their way through panicking people towards the waiting room. The two were exhausted and flopped themselves down in two chairs.  
  
Jean closed her eyes, covering her ears from the hospital sirens that were still blaring quite loudly. She kept staring at Logan, surprised at how quickly he had taken action out there. He was definetly a born fighter, she could tell that much from his personality. One thought ran through her mind at that moment though. Would he be able to return to battle? And if so...would he go?  
  
Logan sighed as the sirens finally started to die down. There was no longer a threat to the hospital. He glanced sideways at Jean, a concerned look on his face. "You okay darlin'?"  
  
She nodded, still a little shaky. "Yeah, are you alright?" Jean gestured toward his leg which he seemed to be rubbing absently.   
  
He pulled his hand away, scratching the back of his head. "Yeah, jus' a little sore."  
  
Jean leaned down and picked his cane up from the floor, handing it to him. "You want to go back to your room?"  
  
Logan shook his head and stood up. "Nope." he gave a slight smirk. "I know it ain't really a great time for this...or a great place either..." he glanced around at the hospital surroundings. "but ya wanna go on a date with me Jeannie?" he grinned playfully.  
  
Jean's eyes brightened. "I'd love to." she laughed. "Would you escort me towards the dining hall sir?"  
  
Logan chuckled and they intertwined arms. "I'd love to ma'am."  
  
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A few days later, Jean found herself in a hearing test room with Logan and Doctor Xavier. She knew Logan was getting well, but still wasn't quite sure if he was ready for this. If he passed the test, he would be going back into battle the next day, and that was something Jean feared. She didn't want to loose him now.   
  
Logan casually walked into an enclosed booth, proving to the doctor that he could walk without the cane. Inside the booth he had to wear a set of headphones, and Doctor Xavier would talk to him through a microphone.  
  
Jean stood behind Xavier anxiously, crossing her fingers. She wanted Logan to pass the test, only because she loved him so much and knew this meant a lot to him.  
  
"Alright Logan, are you ready to proceed?" Doctor Xavier spoke into the microphone.   
  
Logan nodded from inside the booth.  
  
"Every time you hear a beep, I want you to raise your arm up alright?"  
  
Logan nodded once again and the doctor continued with the test.  
  
Jean watched as Xavier pressed a button on the panel beside the microphone. Each beep was a different tone, from high pitches, to low pitches, determining whether Logan's hearing was back in full or not. She smiled at him each time he raised his hand for the sound.   
  
Jean noticed Xavier pressing buttons for higher pitched sounds, and watched Logan intently. She gasped inwardly, noticing him furrow his brows as if straining to hear something. He couldn't hear it. She bit her lower lip, watching as the doctor started to write something down. Jean knew she could get in trouble for this if she was caught, but she also knew that Logan needed to get back into the war and fight, for his own sake. She looked back at Logan, giving him a thumbs up sign. He seemed to know what it meant, so he raised his hand.  
  
Doctor Xavier glanced back at his patient and smiled as Logan's hand went up.  
  
Jean sighed with relief. He was going to pass the test. She then frowned, turning away so Logan couldn't see her. And now he'd be leaving.  
  
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The next morning Logan stood just outside the hospital, all cleaned up and wearing his uniform. He stared down at the ground, just looking at the weeds coming through the cracks in the concrete. Suddenly he turned around, hearing footsteps from behind. It was Jean.  
  
"Hey there soldier." she smiled at him, though she was sad he was leaving. She truly didn't want him to go and would do anything to see him again.   
  
Logan smiled sadly. He cocked his head to the side. "Hey. I'm jus' waitin' for the transport ta pick me up."  
  
Jean nodded, her eyes threatening to tear. She took in a deep breath, gathering up all her courage as she approached Logan. She pulled a folded piece of paper from the pocket of her nurses uniform and handed it to him.   
  
"What's this?" he furrowed his brows, staring at the paper.  
  
"It's my home address. I'll be going home soon probably."  
  
Logan just nodded, still slightly confused. He stuck the piece of paper carefully into the breast pocket of his uniform.   
  
Jean bit her lower lip. "Logan, I want to see you again." she bowed her head down. "I don't want you to go...but I know you have to. When this is all over...go to that address."  
  
Logan smiled. "You gonna wait fer me?"  
  
She nodded. "I love you, you know." Jean leaned forward, wrapping her arms around Logan's neck and burying her face in his chest.  
  
He wrapped his arms around her, breathing in all her scents. "I...love you too." he admitted gruffly. Logan pushed Jean back, lifting her chin to look at him. He kissed her passionately, knowing that he'd been wanting to do that for a long time.  
  
A car horn honked behind them, and they broke from the kiss, Logan turning to face the army jeep that was there to pick him up. He brushed his hand across Jean's cheek as he began to walk away. "I'll come back for you."  
  
Jean reached her hand out as he got into the jeep. "Promise me you'll write every chance you get!" she called back to him, one hand wiping the tears from her eyes.  
  
"I promise!"  
  
Then he was gone, and Jean was left standing infront of the hospital, waiting.  
  
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Almost a year later...  
  
Jean had been receiving a letter from Logan atleast once a month, until recently. She had feared the worst had happened and the next letter she would receive would be a soldier at the door telling her he was dead. Either that, or nothing at all. That would have been the worst thing. Not knowing.   
  
Jean was making dinner for herself in the kitchen, when the doorbell rang. She looked up fearfully, eyes wide with shock. As she glanced out the window above the sink, she saw a military jeep parked out on the street in front of her little house. Jean slowly made her way to the door, clenching her eyes shut for a second as she gripped the door handle. She let out a long sigh, and opened the door. Her eyes immediately began to tear, and she felt that all the air had been sucked out of her lungs. It was him, it was Logan, scars and all.  
  
"Toldja I'd come back Jeannie."  
  
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*end* 


End file.
